simple ways to teach your kids every day

Menu

Category Archives: General Ideas

I read Simplicity Parenting and it recommended de-cluttering kids’ rooms so there were fewer toys and (gasp) books available to them. I forgot the exact number, but I think the book advocated having five books out at a time for young kids. Um, we can’t do that. We started out with about five books when my oldest was born. Now we have three shelves full of kid books. I love books. My daughters love books. We have lots of books.

But I get it. The idea is if you only keep a few books out a time, it won’t be so overwhelming to kids. Five favorite books is easy and simple. Too many choices can be a bad thing. And admittedly, it is difficult to find a particular favorite book on our overcrowded shelves. I like the idea of focusing on only a few books at a time. I also like the idea of weeding out some of our books. So I took out all the seasonal/holiday books and put them away in a closet.

When it was winter, we had all of our snowmen and mitten books on a special shelf downstairs. Now that it is spring (hurray!), the winter books are gone and replaced with flower and Easter books. It makes the books a little more special and exciting that they only come out during a certain times during the year.

You could do this with any books, not just seasonal. Just put away some of your books and then create a rotating library in your child’s room. It can change every week, month, or season…depending on when you remember. 🙂

We’re not a TV-watching family. In fact, we don’t even have a TV. We watch shows on our computer. But for the past few days we have been glued to the Olympics. With snow piled up on the ground outside, it’s nice to cuddle together under a blanket and watch some TV. I remember watching when I was little and then practicing figure skating on the linoleum kitchen floor. Fast forward to Big Sis jumping around the family room showing us her “snowboard moves.” It makes my heart happy.

And while we are watching, we are learning about..

Sports– Being exposed to new sports is a great learning opportunity. It gives kids background knowledge that will help their reading comprehension. If they are reading a book where the characters are skiing, but they have no idea how to ski, it will be difficult to understand the book.

Sportsmanship– The athletes reactions to falling down or low scores make good conversation starters about good (or bad) sportsmanship.

Geography– Just hearing the names of other countries is increasing kids’ knowledge about the world. You can take it a step further and look up the countries on a map or globe as you are watching. Talk about continents. Compare sizes of countries. The list goes on and on.

Flags– Play a game and point out our country’s flag each time you see it on the screen. Identify other country’s flags and see if they can remember a few. Or print out a sheet of flags and play a match game with the ones you see on TV.

Math– There are numbers all over the place! Younger kids can play “find the numbers” and call out 1-10 when they see it on bibs, scores, etc. Older kids will be able to understand more about scores and times. You can talk about place value with tenths of a second. You can do math problems about how many more points someone needs to be in first. Or make a table to show the metals from each country and add them up every day.

And then you can extend that learning. You know, away from the TV.

Play a winter sport– Go ice skating. Try out skiing.

Go to the library– Read books about the Olympics, a favorite sport, athlete, or country.

Make your own Olympics– This is a family favorite. Make up your own events and get the whole family involved. The events can be board games, video games, obstacle courses, silly tricks, or even chores.

February is the month of love. There are so many ways to show your kids that you love them: kisses, food, helping them with homework, and of course telling them every day. Kids appreciate all of it. But I think they especially value quality time with their parents. Those moments together, big or small, are when they make their memories of childhood.

Here are some ways to make some memories with your little ones. Try them out and see which ones work best for your family!

Date your kid. It doesn’t matter if it is going to a movie, seeing a monster truck rally, or just getting an ice cream cone together. Put on the calendar. Make it a big deal. It is important to spend time with each kid individually, and that each child gets to date each parent individually. One-on-one is very different from the group dynamic.

Give them a few minutes every day. Set a timer for 10 minutes every night and do whatever your child wants you to do…video games, reading, playing Barbies. They get to decide. You give them your full attention. If they are having trouble coming up with ideas (or too young or can’t take turns deciding), write down some games/activities around the house and make an idea jar.

Make something together. It is quality time and you have a finished product to remember it by. You can do something as simple as draw a picture with each of you adding things to it or as complicated as a model car kit.

Do chores together. This is not glamorous, and it might not be super fun, but it is a way to squeeze some extra time together. I know it is faster to load the dishwasher yourself. Slow down, let them help, and you might have a great conversation. Maybe they can even learn something doing dishes and laundry.

Make a calendar of possible activities. We keep a calendar (Google calendar works great) of possible kid activities. I make a note of weekly events like library storytime, discount days at indoor playgrounds, etc. If I hear about a special program at a museum or zoo, I jot it down. Then each day I have some pre-planned ideas for us to do together. And if the day comes and we don’t want to do it…no harm, no foul. It is just a calendar of possibilities.

Interview each other. Make a video of you interviewing your kid about their favorite color, food, or movie. It will be a great keepsake to look back on. Then let your child be the interviewer and ask you the questions!

Try a screen-free day. No TV, computer, or iPad…and that means you, too! All that time away from individual screens, means more time spent together.

Cook together. One night a week, let them choose dinner and then help make it. As a bonus, kids are usually more willing to try new foods when they help prepare them!

Change the routine. What if you can’t fit in any extra time? Switch up the time you already spend with them. Instead of eating dinner at the table, eat it on the floor as a picnic. When you are getting ready in the morning, sing everything you say to them. When you tuck them in, tell them a story instead of reading a book. It’s not MORE time, but it is different and they will notice.

If reading is the best way to teach your kids, then books are the best things to give them. Here are a few ways to get free (or really cheap) books for your kids:

book trade playdate– Have books that you no longer want or multiple copies of the same book? Invite friends over for a playdate and everyone brings a set number of books. Then you can take turns picking out “new” books

book baby shower– Have each guest bring their favorite children’s book and write a little message in it. This is especially a great idea for a second (or third or whatever) baby shower when you already have the necessities.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library– If there is a program available in your area, you can sign-up to get a book in the mail every month! This programm is for kids from birth to five years old. http://imaginationlibrary.com/

As the mom to a four-year-old girl and two-year-old, my house is usually littered with dress up clothes. I find tutus in the bathroom and crowns in the kitchen. Sometimes they go through about five outfits (a piece!) in a day. Then there are fits and tears when I tell them to put on real clothes to go to the grocery store. Dress up is kinda getting on my nerves.

I know kids should be kids. They are only young once and all that. Dress up is great fun and educational, too. Pretending you are someone else and acting out that role is wonderful for developing creativity and social skills. So why don’t I want to take a princess to Target? Well…

The most practical reason is it’s cold outside. And everyone knows princesses NEVER wear coats! At least that’s what I hear in my house. Since no one wants to cover their dress up outfit, let’s just take it off and wear something, you know….with sleeves. Yeah, I am the meanest mom ever.

And then there is the “pretty” reason (pause to step up on my feminist soapbox). Girls get a lot of attention for wearing a fancy dress in public. I don’t think my daughters have ever left the house in a dress or skirt and didn’t hear “Oh, you are so pretty!” or “What a beautiful little princess!” Do people say that to a girl dressed in jeans? Not so much. My girls now think to be pretty you have to wear a dress. I know there will be many years of clothing-related self-esteem issues in their future….I just don’t want to start that at age two.

And probably the biggest reason I don’t like dress up….I hate princesses. There. I said it. Are princesses really the ideal that we want our daughters to emulate? My oldest daughter asked me what makes a girl a princess, and I had to explain about family lineage and the ruling class. Well, not exactly in those words. 🙂 But you know what I mean…why are we glorifying princesses? Why not celebrate women who actually do something? Why not try to take the emphasis off of looks and focus on their contribution? It makes me think of the 10 Real World Princesses drawings.

Sigh. Stepping down. Pretend play is important and there is nothing wrong with dressing-up in a fancy skirt every now and then. I’m not going to ban all Disney princess paraphernalia from my house. And I didn’t say anything when my youngest daughter wanted to a be, of course, a princess for Halloween. Although, I was secretly happy that she didn’t know Cinderella’s name and just called her “the blue princess.” I feel like I’m doing something right. 🙂

Now that I officially have a momobile, there a few items that are always in the car:

Diapers and baby wipes– I use my car like a giant diaper bag.

Complete change of clothes for each kid– This might be a pie-in-the-sky goal, but it sure is nice if they get wet in sprinkler (or wet for another reason).

Anti-bacterial handwash

tissues

ziploc or plastic bags– For all those new-found treasures!

blanket– Use it for picnics in warm weather, warmth in cold months.

water bottle for each kiddo

And the most important…. ACTIVITY BAG! Between the two car seats, I store activities that are easily reachable. I change out the activities every time I clean my car (so not often!) The activities are ideally small (to fit in the bag) with no removable parts (nothing gets lost). Bonus points if I can get two of them so both girls can do it at the same time. Our activity bag contains:

paper and writing tool– The girls like pens, but be careful because you might find your kiddos with some new body art…..not that it has ever happened to us (wink, wink). Crayons woudl be good in the winter months when they won’t melt.

Magna Doodle– This is a Kerr girl favorite. We have one for each girl.

Reading books– Throw in some familiar books so they can practice reading.

Flip charts or books– These books usually have three sections that can be flipped to create different drawings. Something like this: Flip-o-saurus. I found ours at a used bookstore.

“Look and find” books– Think Where’s Waldo? This will keep them entertained for awhile!

kaleidoscope

Movable toys– These are my favorite! They can be wood, plastic, or wire. They should be all one piece, but easily movable into different shapes. Great to stimulate creative thinking!

plastic, light-up, talking toys– I wouldn’t recommend these (for your own sanity), but we have a few. Hopefully they are relatively quiet or have a volume control.

phone or tablet– On long car trips, we give the girls turns on the iPad (with a timer so no one can complain). As much as I prefer non-electronic toys, the iPad is a great learning tool and the kids LOVE it. And if the kids are happy, quiet, and learning….then Mama is happy!

Driving in the car is a chore we do every day. It’s a great time to interact with your kiddo since they are a captive audience. 🙂 Of course, there is a lot to be said for a few minutes of silence. But if you get bored of the quiet (or it is not quiet at all because the natives are getting restless), here are a few ideas…

Babies

Talk out loud about….anything! Provide a running commentary about what is out the window, what streets you are on, where you are going, or what you’d like to eat for lunch.

Sing familiar songs: Mary Had a Little Lamb, ABCs, etc.

Talk out loud about….anything! Provide a running commentary about what is out the window, what streets you are on, where you are going, or what you’d like to eat for lunch.

Call attention to when the car stops and when it moves. Talk about red and green lights.

Toddlers and Preschoolers

Talk about….anything! Ask them questions about their day or where you are going. Try to ask them questions that will start a conversation and not just a “no” or “yes.”

Sing familiar songs, but change some words and see if they notice. Mary Had a Little Lion. Kids think this is hilarious!

Talk about driving rules and signs. What does a yellow light mean? Why are their lines on the road? What does a red sign mean?

Play “I Spy a Color.” See if they can find something red out the window or in the car. Once they find something, change the color.

Play “I’m Thinking of an Animal.” Traditionally you ask yes or no questions to figure out the animal. (Does the animal live on a farm? Does the animal fly?) For this age, giving those clues first and then allowing guessing works best. (I’m thinking of an animal that has wings and lives on a farm. Can you guess what it is?)

Ask some simple addition and subtraction math problems related to driving. (There are 3 people in the car now. After we pick up brother from school, how many will be in the car then?)

Count something together for the length of the (short) trip: the number of trucks you see, how many times you have to stop at a red light, the number of bicyclists on the road

Come up with as many rhymes as you can for a given word. Teach them how to go through the alphabet and rhyme: at, bat, cat, dat (no, that’s not a word)

Elementary

Talk about…anything! Driving is a great time to catch up and ask them about school, friends, sports, or hobbies.

Talk about driving. Why are steering wheels on the left side of the car? What does “miles per hour” mean? Why are speed limits important?

Ask “If you could be a _____________ what would you be and why?” Fill in the blank with animal, item in your classroom, food, plant, etc. Make sure you play, too!

Create an addition and subtraction game related to driving. Let the kids come up with rules. Maybe for every truck you get 2 points for every green light you pass and subtract a point for every red light. This is great mental math practice! You can always make the game easier or more difficult by changing the objects or point values.

Play “I’m Thinking of an Animal” the traditional way by asking yes or no questions to figure out the animal. Vary the game by playing “I’m Thinking of a Sport” or “I’m Thinking of a Number between 1 and 100” or “I’m Thinking of a Book.”

Play “I Spy something that starts with the letter _____”

Practice spelling words by taking turns saying the letters.

Take turns thinking of as many things that starts with a certain letter.

Choose a category of things (for example: food). Name something in that category (pizza). Then the next person has to name something that starts with the last letter of the item (a- apple…and then e- enchilada)